What an evening for some Terpsichore - the way it was

 

Brian flies in to the UK for panto season

Brian Fortuna has returned to the UK for his latest stage role - as Peter Pan in panto at the St Helens Theatre Royal on Merseyside.

Brian told the Liverpool Echo that rehearsals were going well but he has yet to try out flying: “I think we’ve got a double harness so I’m going to be able to do some flips and stuff,” he reveals. “I’ve never done it before so that’s going to be an interesting experience.

Brian also spoke to the St Helens Star newspaper.

“And then we’re adding maybe a Latin dance number to the show as well where I’m going to be singing, so it should be interesting.”

The show begins this Friday 6th December and lasts until Sunday 12th January. Tickets can be booked at the St Helens Theatre Royal website.

This is Brian's second panto role - last Christmas he played Aladdin in Northampton. He returned to the USA following that show to develop his acting career.

Ali in Twelfth Night for three nights

Ali Bastian will be playing the role of Olivia in Twelfth Night for a three-night run in West London.

The production is part of the Shakespeare in the Garden series produced by Permanently Bard and directed by Sean Turner. It will be performed at the Rose & Crown in Ealing, west London, from 1 to 3 August.

Tickets are available from here. Rehearsal photos above and more information from here.

Brian's new film

Brian Fortuna has been cast in a lead role in The Arrangement, a romantic short film about two strangers who meet when they end up sharing an apartment.

The independent film is currently seeking investors to fund production in the USA. For more information, see The Arrangement or follow @arrangemntfilm on Twitter.

Brian has been developing his acting career while being based in LA, with his most recent appearance being in TV comedy series Parks and Recreation.

Will Brian be back for Christmas? Oh yes, he will!

Brian Fortuna will be returning to the UK stage for the Christmas panto season.

He will be appearing in the title role in Peter Pan at the Theatre Royal in St Helens, Merseyside, from Friday 6th December to Sunday 12th January.

This will be Brian's second panto season following his debut last Christmas as Aladdin in Northampton's Royal & Derngate Theatre.

He is currently living in Los Angeles.

Tickets for Peter Pan can be booked at the Theatre Royal website.

Story in the Liverpool Echo and the St Helen's Star.

Brian makes TV acting appearance

Brian Fortuna's acting career continues to develop - he appeared in an episode of the comedy series Parks and Recreation which aired on NBC on 30th November in the USA.

The screencap on Tumblr is here.

Parks and Recreation will be on BBC Four in the UK early in 2013.

Brian on the telly - in the USA

Brian is appearing in a TV advert on US television. The ad, for the Charter Cable Company, briefly features him dancing.

Brian back on UK stage in 2013?

Brian Fortuna has signed with Ash Productions Live agency in London with a view to working in the UK next year on a musical production.

Brian is currently in Los Angeles hoping to develop his career in TV and film. He signed with Ash Productions in August.

Although Brian appeared in Aladdin last Christmas, it is unlikely that he will be reprising a panto role for the 2012 festive season.

Competitions for Chicago tickets

There are a few competitions around to win tickets to see Chicago, starring Ali Bastian, on its UK tour. For details, see the Ticket Offers and Competitions page.

I complained about airbrushed photos, says Ali

Airbrushing of photos of celebrities to make them look thinner is 'irresponsible', Ali has said.

She also revealed that she complained after a photo shoot when the pictures were adjusted to make waist smaller and legs longer, saying it was not a true likeness and not a fair thing to do.

Ali was taking part in a 'Lou's Women' discussion for the Express & Star newspaper in Wolverhampton during the UK tour of Chicago.

The discussion focused on a campaign by Rachael Johnston, aged 20, who almost died from anorexia when her weight dropped below five stone. She believes that airbrushed images of celebrities influenced her attitude to her body and to food. Rachael is campaiging to ban airbrushed images in media aimed at children and has organised an e-petition. More details in Daily Mail interview.

Chicago ticket competition for Ipswich shows

Heart FM in Suffolk is running a competition to win a tickets for a box for four people to see Chicago when the musical comes to the Regent Theatre in Ipswich in April. Click on the link to enter the comp.

The closing date for the competition is 28th March and the tickets for the lucky winners are for the evening performance at 7.30pm on Tuesday 3rd April.

Please bear in the mind that the show is not appropriate for under 12s and under 14s should be accompanied by an adult.

Ali cuts ribbon on new theatre room

Ali was given the honour of opening the Irving Room at the King's Theatre in Southsea, near Portsmouth, while appearing at the venue on tour with Chicago.

The room was recently restored to its original Edwardian glory after years of neglect and will be used as a community space for schools and groups visiting the theatre.

Ali told The News in Portsmouth: ‘It’s an absolute honour to open the Irving Room and to see it restored in all its former glory. The cast of Chicago are having the most fabulous time at the Kings Theatre. It’s the most beautiful theatre we have been in so far and you can see the history all around it.’

The News also reviewed the show.

Brian's Beginners DVD on sale in the US

Brian's dance instruction DVD called Brian's Beginners is now on sale in the USA after being launched through the Brian's Beginners website.

Buyers will link through the website to the American Amazon website to purchase the DVD.

The website is run by Suzanne Vennard who also directed the DVD and publishes the http://www.danceclass.com/ website.

The DVD was filmed near Bristol in September 2010 following Brian's appearance in Burn the Floor in London.

It is also available to purchase in the UK via Amazon.

Strippers vs Werewolves goes Stateside

Strippers vs. Werewolves, the British comedy horror film in which Ali has a starring role, has been chosen for release in the USA.

The movie, made by Black and Blue Films, will be distributed by Well Go which bought the distribution rights at the Berlin Film Festival. The distribution rights for Germany and Japan have also been bought by other companies, according to a report in The Hollywood Reporter.

Strippers vs. Werewolves now has a Facebook page with news and still photos.

The film also stars Robert Englund, Martin Kemp and Lucy Pinder; it is directed by Jonathan Glendening.

Brian in LA

Brian is spending time in Los Angeles during 'pilot season' when actors and performers are cast in trial 'pilot' episodes of new American TV shows. Successful pilots will be developed into TV series with the hope that they will become hits with the viewing public. Brian is likely to be in the US until at least the end of April.

He has tweeted a pic from his new photoshoot.

For lucky dance students in California, Brian will be spending a day coaching at the Rose City Ballroom in Pasadena. The date has yet to be confirmed. For more information, or to sign up for the coaching, visit the Rose City Ballroom website.

Brian took a break from auditioning and surprised his parents Andy and Sandra when he flew in to Dallas to judge the Texas Star Ball last weekend.

Ali celebrates birthday on UK Chicago tour

Ali celebrates her birthday today but there's no chance of a day off - she is in the seaside town of Southend, Essex, appearing as Roxie in the UK tour of Chicago.

The tour started in Bradford on 10th February and continues through to this summer with dates across the country. Tour dates are here.

Ali spoke about her first musical role in this interview on the Total Essex website.

New movie role for Brian?

Brian Fortuna could be starring in a film soon after he told the Daily Mail that a role was being written specifically with him in mind.

He spoke to the paper about life after Strictly and emphasised that he had used his time since leaving the BBC programme to develop his career as an all-round entertainer. He said: "Since I left the show I’ve done things I thought would never be possible. I’ve done a short film that was shown at Cannes and now a film role is being written for me. I have even been to the Oscars . . ."

Professional dancers earn less than celebrities on Strictly on both the TV show and the tour but can build on their media fame to earn significant money if they are canny, said Brian. He said: "I was offered the chance to be in the troupe, but that was not going to be the career for me. So after Strictly, I decided I wanted to enter the entertainment business.
"You have to understand that Strictly will come to an end for you one day. And if all that you have done with that opportunity is to dance then you will still be only a dancer.
"I set myself the challenge to be an all-round entertainer like Fred Astaire."

Brian said he was rooting for his former dance partner Kristina and her celebrity Jason Donovan to win this year's Strictly.

Brian will be switching on the Christmas lights in Northampton tomorrow afternoon and starring in Aladdin in the Royal & Derngate Theatre in the town.

NB: One correction in the Daily Mail story: Ali and Brian earned perfect scores of 40for the Viennese Waltz and 50 for their semi-final American Smooth as there were five judges on that night.

Ali's tour dates for Chicago

Ali has been cast in the starring role of Roxie Hart in the UK tour of the musical Chicago.

Tour dates were announced today: starting on 10th February at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford, the show will visit Hull, Southend, Birmingham, Manchester among others, before ending on Saturday 16th June at Grimsby Auditorium. More dates may be added.

Other cast members include Stefan Booth, Tupele Dorgu and Bernie Nolan.

Information about tour dates is here.

More tour dates for Over the Rainbow

The producers of Over the Rainbow have announced tour dates for 2012. These include Swansea, Worcester, Manchester, Mansfield, and many more. See the Theatre Productions website. The tour will resume on 26th January in Camberley Theatre in Surrey.

No cast changes have been announced so it is likely Brian will continue in the show in his role as Danny.

In December and early January Brian is appearing as Aladdin in the pantomime of that name in Northampton.

Brian on the radio

Brian talks to Kent radio station KMFM about Over the Rainbow ahead of the show's arrival at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley, from tomorrow.